Housewarming Party

Well, I was right. This weekend was awesome! Our friends, Iad, Brandy, Carter, Steph, Tony, April, Jennifer Mitchem, Peter, Philip, Jenn Pinkston, Alex, Aisha, Stevie, Ben, Ryan, and Carolyn, came over to visit all day on Saturday. We had a great time catching up, playing outside, eating, and watching the kids (there are 4 kids between all of us) play together. Unfortunately, with all of the chaos during the day, we didn't get photos of everyone, but here are the ones we took.

It was a GREAT party! And, this was the aftermath...

Back East

Over the last few weeks, Wes and I have had many experiences which have clearly reminded us that we are definitely back on the East Coast. We were very spoiled living in the South and Mid West for the last six years in a variety of ways. And moving back East has not been as pleasant as we thought it would be. So, we've been compiling a list of our experiences. Enjoy.

You know you're back on the East Coast when...

• no one talks to you in line at the grocery store, or anywhere at any store.
• you're in the waiting room at the doctor's office for what seems like an hour.
• you have the pleasure of interacting with at least 10 rude people each and every day.
• the large majority of people do not leave their purses in their cart at the store- even if they are only walking 2 feet away from it.
• you actually have to wait in line at a store.
• the cable guy wants to rip you off by saying that he needs to charge you $35 to literally connect the cable wire to connector on the television (Wes and I were perfectly capable of screwing in the wire ourselves).
• you rarely get the door held open for you.
• you hear silence when you hold the door open for someone else.
• the woman at McDonald's gives you major attitude over the intercom when you ask for a chocolate milkshake without any strawberry in it (because I clearly had strawberry in my chocolate milkshake 3 times prior to that visit).
• the woman at McDonald's gives you major attitude over the intercom when you use the term "scrambled egg" instead of "folded egg".
• drivers cut you off on a daily basis.
• the doctor comes in the examination room, stands by the door, does not even look at your child, gives you a diagnosis (purely based on your description given to the nurse), argues with you when you have concerns, and then leaves after only being in the room for 2.5 minutes and not interacting with your child at all.

What happened to that small town charm people always talk about? Isn't that the point of a smaller city? Where did all of the nice people go?

Atypical Weekends

When we lived in Indiana, a typical weekend for us consisted of Wes working on Saturday, Sunday, or both days, lounging around the house, and trips to either the local zoo, park, or Walmart. Since we moved to Virginia 3.5 weeks ago, our weekends have been packed with activities. The first weekend, of course, was the big move and both of our families were in town. The second weekend was the First Annual Alhassani-Rosier Vacation. And this past weekend (the third weekend) was the busiest of all! On Friday morning, Wes' Mom and Dad drove down. We played with Gavin and Vivian all day and met them at Bob Evan's for breakfast on Saturday morning. Gavin and Vivian LOVED eating scrambled eggs, cantaloupe, and a few bites of a strawberry sundae! Then, we went to Target for a little shopping and Grandma couldn't resist buying G & V a couple of adorable outfits (thanks!). Grandma also gave me my belated birthday present (a TomTom!). We LOVE it and have already used it SEVERAL times (Wes even used it to find Mr. Chubbs today- another story for another time). I'm not really sure how we lived without one for so long! THANK YOU!

Grandma and Grandad left for Maryland in the middle of the day on Saturday and then Wes' brother, Uncle Phlip, made the trip down that afternoon. And, he came bearing gifts! Uncle Phlip got Vivian a precious poncho and Gavin an awesome cobra t-shirt. He also gave them a cute little polar bear bath toy. But the main attraction, which Vivian has become OBSESSED with since Saturday, were talking Elmo and Cookie Monster toys. These things are adorable. You shake them up and down so that their heads move and it makes them talk. Vivi. Is. In. Love. Don't get me wrong, Gavin loves them too, but Viv REALLY loves them- especially the Elmo one.

Uncle Phlip slept over Saturday night and then Wes, Vivi, Gav, & I packed upt he car the next morning to head down to Roanoke, VA (where my sister lives). The beginning of the 1.5 hour drive was tiresome for most of the passengers.

But everyone woke up in time to watch a little Sesame Street before we arrived at Auntie Bird's house. Meg & Joe's apartment is ADORABLE! It's so spacious and has a LOT of character. We loved it! After a tour of the apartment, we piled into our respective cars and went downtown. Meghan showed us the restaurant where she works ("202"), which was gorgeous, by the way.

The twins loved strolling around town, going into shops, and sitting in huge red hand chairs!

Then, it was time to eat! We went to this great seafood restaurant. Gavin and Vivian loved drinking water through straws out of our cups, eating lemons, coloring, and munching on a chicken quesadilla and some cantaloupe.

After lunch, we went to the Roanoke Zoo. Our kiddos LOVE the zoo! The coolest part of this zoo was the scenery. The Zoo was located in the woods on Mill Mountain. It. Was. Awesome.

Last, but certainly not least, we went on the Zoo's train. Viv and Gav were a little apprehensive at first, but they soon fell in love with the ride.

The day was ended with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza, games, tunnels, and a ridiculous amount of excitement from the large singing and dancing creatures on stage.

Around 8pm or so, we decided that it was time to head back north. We made it home around 9:30 and all four of us crashed. It was a busy, busy day. And to think: this weekend (our fourth weekend in VA) is going to be just as busy. Ready, set, go!